Golf club head covers



United States Patent [1113,548,908

[72] Inventor John C. Koetting 3,023,795 3/1962 Denkert 50/52 3703 Colquitt, Houston, Tex. 77027 3,072,167 l/l963 Banas 150/52 [21] Appl. No. 753,561 3,145,749 8/1964 Rosenow 150/52 [22] Filed Aug. 19, 1968 3,253,628 /1966 Koetting 150/52 Patented 1970 Primary Examiner-Donald F. Norton Auamey-William E. Ford [54] GOLF CLUB HEAD COVERS 5 Clams 4 Drawmg ABSTRACT: The invention comprises a golf club head cover [52] [1.8. 150/52 with two stable, nonextensible parts, as of fabric, separated by [51] Int. Cl A63b 57/00 an elastic material part which extends from open skirt end up- Field ofSearch 150/52, wardly around and oppositely back to skirt end. Altemately, 52.6 the two parts may be hingedly joined at top and the elastic material thus divided into two parallel extending parts. The lower elastic is easily stretched to let the golf club head enter [56] References cited and then the upper elastic is easily stretched as the cover is UNITED STATES PATENTS pulled downwardly over the club head, the lower elastic con- 2,532,l l l/ i950 Rosenow et al /52 tracting about the hose] and club shaft.

PATENTED 05022 lam .127 .3 JOHN C. Konrws INVI'QN'I OR.

BY M

4 TTO/PNE Y 1 GOLF CLUB HEAD covarzs SPECIFICATION The invention relates to a golf club head cover which is centrally elastic between stable inelastic part s,as fabric, to extend from the cover lower part, or open skirt, upwardly, around, and back oppositely down to the skirt, thus to insure facile entry of the club head into the cover, and facile'expansion of the cover to snugly receive the club head, and ready contraction of the lower part of the covertoward hosel and shaft.

It is a primary object of the invention to provide a golf club head cover which is comprised of stable, inelastic material with elastic material means extending longitudinally thereinbetween, whereby the cover is expansible to fit snugly about the head of the club and contractible to withdraw'toward the hosel and shaft of the club therebelow.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a golf club head cover of this class in which each side half of the cover is expansible and contractible from top to bottom, thus to permit easy installation and snug fit over a club head and contraction toward club hosel and shaft therebelow.

It is yet another object of the invention to provided a golf club head cover of this class with lower, open, skirt end being unflared or of similar dimension to throat dimension therabove by virtue of the skirt of the cover being readily expansible to permitgolf club head entry.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a golf club head cover of this class which may be fabricated, as to its stable, inelastic parts, of a' wide range of materials, such as leather, plastic, fabrics, or firm knit material.

Also, it is still a further object of the invention to provide a golf club head cover of this class made of component parts which may be selectively colored for'color contrast.

It is still a further object of the invention to provided a golf club .head cover of this class in which the provision of an elastic material between stable inelastic part to require less material in area than in conventional golf club head covers.

It is also still another object of the invention .to provide a golf club head cover of this class which may be fabricated of an minimum number of parts.

Other and further objects may be apparent when the specification is considered in connection with the drawings, in which:

FIG. I is a side elevational invention; a

FIG. 2 is a transverse plan view taken along line 2-2 of FIG.

view of a preferred form of the FIG. 3 is a development view of the component parts of FIGS. 1 and 2, showing seam lines; and

FIG. 4 is an isometric view of an-alternative construction of golf club head cover, the stable inelastic material parts being connected at the top by a stable, inelastic material hinge part, whereby the inelastic material means is divided into two parts.

Referring now in detail to the drawings in which like reference numerals are assigned to like elements in the various views, a golf club. head cover is shown in FIG. 1 comprised of an under or lower stable, inelastic part 11a a central part 12, of an extensible and contractible, flexible or elastic material, and an upper, outer, or top stable, inelastic part 11b. The parts Ila, llb may be of a wide range of materials, as fabric, leather, firmly knit material, or plastics, such as polyvinyl chloride, or polyethylene. The elastic strip or central member 12 extends from the open skirt end 13 upwardly between the parts lla, llb, around the top, and back downwardly on the opposite side to the skirt entry, thus separating the stable, inelastic parts Ila, llb. Thus, as shown in FIG. 2, the elastic part 12 is sewed by seams 14a, 14b, and 14c, 144', respectively, to the stable, inelastic, or unstretchable parts 1 la and 11b.

As shown in FIG. 3, the stable, inelastic parts Ila, llb are of identical size, for better mass production, and are indicated as being flared at the bottom. Alternatively, as indicated in FIG. 3 by light phantom lines 15a, 15b, the skirt portions 13a, 13b of the parts lla, ll llb need not be flared to any degree,

but may extend substantially straight from the throat portions 16a, 16b, whereby, in assembly, the skirt end 13, will not, in FIG. 1, appear proportionately of greater transverse dimension than the throat l6.

In the form of invention shown in FIG. 4 the stable inelastic parts 11c, 11d, are shown connected across the top of the golf club head cover 10a by a stable, inelastic hinge member or connection lle, while the elastic material of the cover is thus divided into two parts 12a, 12b which extend parallel to each other from skirt entry 13d to the hinge member lle.

Also, as indicated by the phantom lines in FIG. 3, the skirt 13a need not be flared, but the skirt dimension need not be substantially greater, or any greater than the throat 16c. In this form of the invention as in the form shown in FIGS. l-3, the seams between the elastic and stable, inelastic parts will be inwardly when the cover 10a is in service.

The fact that the elastic is between the stable, inelastic parts insures that the cover can stretch to admit the golf club head 17, as indicated in FIG. I, then to fit snugly around the head and to contract toward the hosel l8 and shaft 19 of the golf club 20. Also, in the form of the invention indicated by the phantom lines in FIG. 3, with the throat and skirt of comparable transverse dimensions, still the club head may. be easily inserted, into the skirt, and then the cover pulled downwardly to fit snugly around the club head, while the lower and skirtportion, after club head insertion, can contract more closely toward the hosel and shaft of the club.

The parts of the cover contemplated by this invention may be selectively of varied colors. For instance, the stable, inelastic parts may be of somber, full or-base colors, while the separating, inelastic part maybe of parallel bands of bright varied colors, as indicated by the color hatched area 21 in FIG. 1. Such a color contract and attractive arrangement raises interest in the approach of a golfer, also different color arrangements may come to indicate different types of golf clubs.

The invention is set forth by hereinabove description and disclosure as exemplary, and other arrangements may fall within its spirit. The separation of the stable, inelastic parts by the elastic over the length of the cover results in less material being required in the stable cover parts. Also, ease of installation and removal is insured. The invention is thus amply covered by specification, drawing and appended claims.

I claim: 1. A golf club head coverwith closed upper part and lower skirt part having an open free lower end, respectively, to cover the golf club head as carried disposed upwardly and to fit about the club hosel and shaft upper part therebelow, said cover comprising stable material, inelastic parts with an elastic material means disposed between and separating said inelastic parts and extending from said free end of said skirt part to said upper part on opposite sides of said cover, whereby the lower elastic is easily stretched to receive the golf club head into the cover and the upper elastic is easily stretched as the cover is pulled downwardly over the club head thus installing the upper part of the cover snugly around the golf club head as the lower elastic inherently contracts to draw the cover in around the club hosel and shaft therebelow.

2. A golf club head cover as claimed in claim 1 in which the elastic material means extends continuously between said sta ble material, inelastic parts.

3. A golf club head cover as claimed in claim I in which the stable material inelastic parts are joined across the top of the cover by a stable material, inelastic hinge-part thus dividing the elastic material means into two parts.

4. A golf club head cover as claimed in claim 1 in which said cover is of reduced dimensions centrally thereof to form a throat. whereby, with golf club upstanding with head uppermost and thus disposed with axis of head extending substantially horizontally and transversely from the hosel of the club, heel of club uppermost adjacent hosel, toe spaced therefrom, said elastic means extends from said skirt free end up said throat as disposed along the cover on the side thereof under said head, and oppositely down said throat as disposed over said toe and heelalong the upper and rear part of the cover to permost' adjacent t hoseL- toe spacedtherefrom. said elastic id free I material. means extends from said skirt free end ,up one side of golf Flubhead as 'clafmed clam 1 m F the-cover under said headand oppositely back around the toe elastic mammal imeaps compn-ses a cgqtmny'dsposed and along the heel on the other side of the cover to said skirt member, whereby;w1th golf club upstandmg wtth head upperfreend most and thus disposed with axis of head extending tsubstantially transversely from the hosel of the club,;heel of club up- 

